NBA Playoffs: Can Anyone Beat the Miami Heat?

For the last two postseasons, the team to beat has been one and the same. The Miami Heat have won the last two NBA Finals and they are primed to win their third this year with the same core of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

Can anyone stop them?

Assuming the Heat can reach the Finals, can anyone in the Western Conference stop them? Miami had a 20-10 record against the West during the regular season and the Western Conference will be so beat up by the time they get to the Finals that the Heat could be well rested.

But, the West is no joke.

The Los Angeles Clippers are the best bet to stop Miami, should both teams meet in the Finals. Why? The best way to beat Miami is in the paint, and the Clippers have two of the best big men in the NBA in Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

How is it that big men beat the Heat? Miami has a rebounding rate 48 percent, which ranks among the association’s worst. If the Clippers can rebound well, they’ll win the series. Los Angeles also has a rebound rate of 48 percent, but with DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin, the Clippers are far more suited to win the battle of the boards.

The San Antonio Spurs are always a tough matchup for anyone, especially the Heat. Remember, the Spurs were just one rebound away from winning the NBA Finals last year, so the Heat would have their hands full in a series against Tim Duncan and the Spurs. The first three minutes or so highlights that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJIn4Otnoqc

So far, the Eastern Conference has done nothing to stop the Heat during the regular season or the postseason. Miami has a 38-18 record against the conference so far this season (including the postseason) and shows no signs of slowing down.

The Pacers are the highest remaining seed, but they have not been the same team since trading for Evan Turner and signing Andrew Bynum. The last 23 games in the regular season yielded just 10 wins, and the Pacers have struggled mightily in the playoffs, despite winning the first series.

Indiana is it’s own worst enemy, and the Heat will exploit that and defeat a team that looks like they have already defeated themselves.

As for the other two teams in the Eastern Conference, the Wizards do not have enough firepower to withstand LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, despite the fact that the two teams split during the regular season. Bradley Beal and Trevor Ariza are no match for James and Wade, so John Wall would have to take over the entire series. Is he capable of doing so? Yes. Is it likely? Unfortunately for the Wizards, no. James didn’t even suit up in one of Washington’s wins. In the other, the Wizards shot 55 percent from the floor, which is isn’t a sustainable.

So, can anyone stop the Heat?

Yes, one team can, and the numbers support that they will.

Welcome to Brooklyn.

You may be thinking, “Seriously? The Nets?!”

Yes, the Brooklyn Nets can challenge, and possibly beat the Miami Heat. Why?

Brooklyn swept the Heat during the regular season, winning all four contests. On November 1st,the Heat lost to the Nets by one. James, Wade and Chris Bosh all played. On January 10th, the Nets beat the Heat by nine in overtime. Wade did not play, but neither did Deron Williams, who is the Nets’ best player. On March 12th, the Nets won by one point in a game where James, Bosh and Wade all played, and Kevin Garnett did not. Finally, on April 8th, the Heat were down by one, but LeBron James elevated for a dunk to win the…

Mason Plumlee.

Brooklyn won all four of its contests against the Heat this season, all of which were “fair” games. Fair, meaning that one side did not have a clear advantage over the other in terms of personnel.

Now, all these games were close, so the Heat could very well win, and they are expected to. Yet…

The numbers are stacked against the Heat in some ways, yet all the pressure will be on Miami. Can James and Co. deny the trend and beat the Nets? They should, but we have seen some crazier things happen in the NBA.

All things aside, can anyone really stop the Heat?

James is just too good of a basketball player, and Wade is the best second option in the NBA. Look for Miami to win their third straight title and be cemented in with one of the best teams of this generation.

Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Deron Williams will not be able to maintain a high level of play to beat the best player on the planet four times in seven games. Then neither the Pacers or the Wizards will be able to match the athleticism and talent of the Heat’s stars in the Eastern Conference finals. The only team that could beat the Heat are the Clippers because of their depth, but they’ll have a grueling schedule just getting to the Finals.

Photo via Steve Mitchell, USA Today Sports Images